For ninety minutes and sometimes hours at a time, women lose their partners to sports channels...

Once the starting whistle is blown, all we can do is wait for men to assume their rightful roles in our lives.

Are you a sports widow?

The only thing worse than having a grown man holler at the TV screen with his feet on your coffee table and a beer in hand is having four grown men, rooting for opposite teams, hollering at the TV screen and each other while making a huge mess in your living room...with plenty of beers at hand.

This loss of a spouse or boyfriend to a group of sportsmen and a ball has made you a sports widow. Fortunately, this loss is only temporary but it often means that you have to go without attention for awhile.

Don’t try to compete with his favourite team

You would only be setting yourself up for defeat. It goes without saying that once his favourite team starts playing, everything else seems insignificant to him. Trying to slip into a deep, meaningful conversation during half-time or asking him what he thinks of your new haircut when Messi has the ball is futile and will only be received with one-word answers; leaving you feeling frustrated.

Instead of trying to divert his attention from what seems to have replaced you as the love of his life; you could either grab a beer and join in on the festivities or find something else to do.

You should either love it or leave it alone

Religiously following soccer, cricket or rugby to guys is how shopping, gossiping or reading magazines is for women. When we’re absorbed in the activities that make our lives that much more worth living, we have virtual “DO NOT DISTURB” signs plastered on our foreheads.

As opposed to standing between him and his beloved SuperSport, try showing some interest by reading up on his favourite teams and impressing him by using some sports jargon - after the game, of course.

Remember that priceless feeling of pride and joy when he autotuned one of your favourite chick-flicks for you, despite the fact that he can’t stand how infatuated you are with the male lead? Well, showing him that you’ve finally grasped the concept of an offside or that you know that Robin van Persie is the striker for Arsenal may give him the same feeling.

Try to be accommodating when he's glued to the game

If sitting through an entire match seems like an unbearable and farfetched idea, see his being preoccupied as an opportunity to catch up on some me-time. And if you’re a mother, this would also be a great time to take Sally up on her offer to have your children over for a play-date.

See it as ninety minutes to yourself or a chance to score some brownie points by suggesting that he invites his friends over. However you choose to handle his addiction, once extra time has lapsed, he’ll be all yours once again.